Liquid refreshments

Life is very pleasing at present. Penultimate son and daughter have flown the nest to university and I follow their lives through their Facebook updates. This means I don't know about wild freshers' parties until after the event, and I no longer have a daily duty to nag over homework. Instead, they actually miss me, and the state of their rooms are their own problems. Youngest son and I, meanwhile, are free to indulge our shared taste in experimental soups without the refrain "But Mum, soup isn't a meal."

Nothing ever runs smoothly, of course. On the way back from a meeting, another driver ran into the back of my little Ford Ka, doing considerably more damage to the chassis then the dent in the bumper suggested. Three weeks later, and I finally have my own car back, having had the most unpleasant experience of trying to stay mobile in a hire car that drives like a tank and replaces basic comfort and functionality with gizmoid gimmickry.

Work was supposed to be easier this term - a measured disengagement, carefully transferring my duties and responsibilities to colleagues over several weeks. The sudden illness of my immediate boss, absent now until the end of term, scuppered that as a plan of work, and instead I am trying to uphold her role while disengaging from mine, a complicated dance that takes political wisdom, academic versatility and unfailing good humour, qualities I am working hard to cultivate. But if this unexpected workload is onerous, the prospect of new adventures next term is a powerful motivator.

This last weekend involved a trip down the M1 to spend two days dipping a toe into my new job. Meeting colleagues, learning the ropes and feeling my way into a new role has

been made so much easier by the generous patience of the chaplain and the warmth of the staff and students I have met. I am delighted that I'm to be tutor attached to a boys' boarding house in addition to my academic role, and a pretty little house in the middle of the village will give me a home close to the school and three pubs. Each morning I wake up and have to pinch myself: this is a dream come true in every way I can imagine. I veer between sheer delight and utter terror at the scope of the task I have taken on, but always there is a bubbling excitement and energetic optimism.

Working closely with my lover on our joint project has been fun and challenging, as we try to anticipate problems and deliver quality. Time together has been scant over the summer, but oddly enough, as autumn comes on our diaries mesh more often and we have time to work and relax together more frequently. As the days grow shorter, the leaves turn colour and fall, and a morning chill shivers the daily walk to work, life looks very, very good.